Re: Infantry Walkers

Jonathan White wrote:
> >I remember reading somewhere of materials that contracted when
electric
> >current ran through them, and relaxed when the current was shut off.
> >I also remember that they weren't very reliable or strong, but it is
> >conceivable that these are 'merely' problems of engineering, and not
> >of the actual physics.
>
> Not necessarily. There are some phenomena (like LCD's) which we sort
of
> understand how they work but as far as being able to generalise their
> properties we're at a complete loss about.

Oh, granted.  I didn't mean to imply it was always possible, but that 
it was conceivable.  (The one sure thing about science and technology is
that it always manages to surprise us.)
 
> >I guess my POV is that, if the physics makes it possible, or even
probable,
> >and the only problems are 'engineering' ones, we can let the
science-fiction
> >take care of that.  (So what if we only need to generate a black hole
and
> >drop it into the sun?  Mere engineering trifles.  (8-) )
> Typical matchmetician. What's the phrase? 'This would be considered an
> undergraduate problem'. 

Actually, the one I heard most often was "It's trivial...", to which I 
usually retorted with a shotgun filled with rock salt.	(8-)

> I'm instinctively more inclined to believe in a
> universe where simply because we think something /might/ be possible
> doesn't necessaily mean it is. Scientists can be wrong. 

Once again, granted.  Scientists are, after all, only human.  

I guess I take the opposite coin; if a scientist discovers something, 
then more than half the time, there's a technical application 
waiting for it.  We in the present may have no clue what that useful
technical application might be, nor am I making a moral judgement as to
the 'value' of that application.  But I think there's a good chance that
somebody will find something useful to do with the discovery.

The example of the wave equation (and PDEs in general) comes to mind. 

Okay, I'm waxing WAY to philosophical here.  (8-)

J.

-- 
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